Future events happening here

Past events that happened here

Roses are red, violets are blue, we need net neutrality and public ownership too! Hope you like typewriters, this month's event will feature a lot of them.

Comcast and other large internet service providers have successfully lobbied to repeal net neutrality, sell information about what you do online, and prevent localities from properly regulating them. Municipal broadband is the last line of defense against internet service provider abuses which threaten freedom of information, digital equality, and democracy itself.

Municipal broadband is something many cities such as Tacoma, WA and Sandy, OR already have. In Portland we have been planning to build a municipal broadband network decades, now that our internet freedoms are under attack, it’s an idea whose time has come.

The five commissioners of the City of Portland vote this morning on the proposal for Google Fiber.

Google has requested that Portland and surrounding suburbs ready the area for potential future gigabit residential service. Google will evaluate cities across the country and select a few for Internet and TV services. https://fiber.google.com/newcities/

Current thinking is that a decision would be made by Google late this year, early next; and construction would span 2015-17 if Portland is selected.

The session will feature, among other presenters:
* Anthony Townsend, Institute of the Future and co-author of The Future of Cities, Information and Inclusion http://www.iftf.org/user/20
* Amber Case, Portland native and Cyborg Anthropologist, TedxWomen presenter, and recent Seed Fund recipient for Geoloqi, who will speak on the Internet of Things http://caseorganic.com/about

Looking forward to seeing you there for this sauce of the awesome line up!